sweetener
by JFresh21
Summary: Kurt moved to San Francisco to follow the man he loved, and then that man shattered his heart. Kurt returns home to Lima, Ohio to lick his wounds. There, he's reacquainted with his one bully, turned somewhat friend, Noah Puckerman. Only this time around, Noah isn't the egotistical, sex driven guy he'd been growing up. Time has changed them both, and maybe they can heal each other.
1. shattered glass

Chapter 1: shattered glass

Chapter Text

San Francisco rain was not something to be taken lightly. When it rained, it was heavy, and getting caught outside in it would result in nearly instant pneumonia. Most people would take shelter in their homes, bundled up in a few cozy blankets, Netflix playing and a glass of their own personal poison in hand. Typically, this is how Kurt Hummel would spend his rainy days too.

But today wasn't one of those typical days.

Because typically at this time, Kurt would be home in flannel pajama bottoms and an oversized sweatshirt, tucked into the arms of his longtime boyfriend Elliot. They would be sharing the stories of their respective days and being the other's therapist. After the bitch session about this person's co-worker or the other's horrible commute, they would enjoy an amazing dinner they would prepare together, then cozy up in bed watching some sci-fi or periodical tv show Elliot had discovered until they fell asleep. That was a typical day for Kurt Hummel.

Not so typical, is standing outside the apartment complex he and Elliot had lived in together for the last seven months, getting drenched by the rain, with red rimmed eyes.

"Kurt, I am so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen. I swear it was a one time thing." Elliot said for what seemed to be the twentieth time in the last, who knows how long they had been standing out here.

Kurt continued to look at the man. That's all his brain was allowing him to do while it replayed the scene he had just witnessed over and over again. Kurt, having prepared for a typical quiet night, walked into his home with a bottle of rosé and a story to share with his boyfriend. Only, the bottle of rosé ended up shattered on the hardwood floor the second his eyes landed on his boyfriend receiving a blowjob from a mutual friend of theirs. It felt like the scene was on a constant loop in his mind. Over and over he saw the look of pure ecstasy on Elliot's face as Paul bobbed back and forth on his boyfriend's dick. And the look that Elliot got when he realized he had been caught. That wide eyed "oh shit" look that instantly meant someone had fucked up. Then he saw the shattered glass all over the floor surrounded by a bottle of pink liquid. As he stood in the rain, he noticed the similarity of the puddles of rain that surrounded him. Only, the thing shattered on  
the floor here was his heart.

"Kurt," Elliot started. His normally curly blond hair sat flat against his head from the rain. "Please say something."

Kurt looked into Elliots sea-foam green eyes—the same eyes he once found so dreamy and comforting—and took in the sadness they held. Elliot's eyes were begging to be forgiven and Kurt could see that very clearly, even though his vision was blurred at the moment.

"Y-you," Was all that Kurt could get out before his voice cracked. His throat was tight from trying to restrain his tears. "You and Paul?"

Elliot shook his head furiously. "No, Kurt, me and Paul are nothing! He came over to pick up some documents for work and—"

"And what? He just reached for the papers and accidentally landed on his knees with your dick in his mouth?" Kurt interrupted.

Maybe Elliot wasn't aware of how angry Kurt could get, based on his recoil at Kurt's statement he didn't realize what Kurt was capable of. "Kurt, please."

Kurt shook his head and used his sleeve to wipe his eyes. At this point he didn't know how much of the water on his face was from the rain and how much was his own tears. It didn't truly matter at this point, either way his face was drenched (as were his clothes), he was freezing, and his boyfriend had just cheated on him.

The two men stared back and forth at each other waiting to see who would make the first move. At this moment, Kurt didn't know what he was supposed to do. His whole life was here in San Francisco, with Elliot. They had met a few years back when Kurt was still living in New York with his high school best friend Rachel, and his step brother Finn. He and Elliot went on a few dates, which turned into a lot of dates, which turned into overnight stays at each other's places, holidays with the families—it was everything Kurt had ever dreamed a relationship could be. And then when Elliot got a job opportunity in San Francisco, Kurt decided that he wanted to make things work. Long distance wasn't something they had ever thought would work (though now Kurt was curious if it might have changed this situation at all) and so Kurt uprooted his life to follow a man.

He regretted it now.

"I," Kurt said and looked from the ground back to Elliot. "I am going to go upstairs and grab a few things. And then uhm, I am going to go." He started to walk around the man in front of him.

Elliot reaches out and grabbed Kurt's arm to stop him. "Kurt please, can we just talk about this?"

Kurt shook his head, but didn't make eye contact. He took another step forward, and anticipated Elliot's grab to strengthen to stop him, but when it didn't he knew everything was over.  
It was the quickest Kurt had ever packed a bag. He bypassed all the things he could grab at a convenience store and just grabbed his essentials. Once he had a few outfits, randomly thrown together into a duffle bag, and his work stuff. He unhooked the key to the apartment from his keyring and left it on the table. He walked out of the apartment and was met with Elliot standing in the hallway dripping onto the carpet.

Kurt really wished that he felt strong enough to make some grand, snarky goodbye to the man he had loved up until thirty minutes ago. But in that moment all he could do was look down and walk past him.

Once he was outside and the rain was washing over him again, he knew there were more tears on his face than rain. As he fumbled to pull his phone out of his pocket and pressed call he knew he was boarding hysterical crying.

"Hello?" A familiar deep, raspy voice answered.

"Hey," he choked out. "I know it's late. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No it's okay. What's going on? You okay?"

Kurt inhaled and once he let it out a sob escaped with it. "Daddy, I need to come home."

* * *

Notes:

So let me preface this by saying, I know that before his death, there was a lot of information that came out about Mark Salling, and I do not in anyway condone or accept any of the things he did. However, I am able to separate Mark from the character Noah Puckerman, and hopefully you can as well. So please don't think I approve of any of the things he did.  
Now just a little knowledge: In this fic Kurt and Rachel did move to New York like they did in the show, Kurt and Blaine dated and broke up for good in season 4, and Finn did not die. So basically season 5 and 6 didn't happen. I know this is basically rewriting a lot of the final seasons of the show but it's fine, that's what the fanfic vers is for right?

Thanks for reading. Comments are much appreciated. I'll update very soon,  
xo


	2. the morning after

When Kurt woke up he felt like he had been run over by a bus. And if his memory served him right, he sort of had been. He wished that he would've woken up and everything that was flashing through his head all night while he tossed and turned was just a horrific dream. But when he rolled over and slowly pulled his eyes open and was met with the pastel Dior grey he so fondly remembered, he realized he was back in his childhood home, and it had certainly not been a dream.

Kurt had called his dad, Burt Hummel, as soon as he stepped out of the apartment, duffle bag in hand and tears streaming down his face. He couldn't bring himself to explain what was happening over the phone, but the sound of his voice must have been all the information his dad needed to buy him a plane ticket home immediately, and pick him up from the airport at six in the morning.

The plane ride had been brutal for Kurt. The flight itself hadn't been bad, and at such last minute Kurt was grateful he had been able to get a ticket at all. The hard part had been sitting on a plane for six hours and trying not to cry in an enclosed space surrounded by a bunch of strangers. But once he had made the flight and landed in Columbus, he felt a little more at ease. It was the middle of May so the weather was decent, even at six in the morning, which was a nice change from the rain he had just escaped.

When Kurt caught sight of his dad his heart fluttered with joy. He hadn't realized how heavy his heart had been sitting in his chest until he saw his dad and the smallest amount of joy reentered his body. To say he ran to his dad for a hug would be an understatement. Honestly, he was pretty surprised that he hadn't knocked him over just from the force he had thrown himself into his dad's arms. It would've been worth it though; Feeling himself in his father's arms reminded him of a time when he was a lot smaller and felt safe in this same position. As long as he was in his father's arms, nothing and no one could hurt him.

His dad, thankfully, didn't ask too many questions about the sudden need to return home. Kurt was sure it was for his own sake, but he knew eventually he would be bombarded with questions about the sudden relocation. But he didn't hound him right away, which Kurt was thankful for. Instead, his dad took him to the car and started their drive back to Lima. There wasn't much conversation during the ride, the just enjoyed the silence of the road, until Kurt dosed off.

Once they pulled up to the two story home Kurt was all too familiar with, his dad helped him with his bag and let him in. Kurt had insisted that he was tired and needed to crash and that he would make his presence known with his step mother Carol after he rested.

So now, as Kurt laid in his bed, that was exactly how he had left it a year ago when he last visited, he knew he needed to make an appearance.

But what would he say?

How would he explain to his parents that he needed to so quickly escape the city and come home because the man that he was so madly in love with had been cheating on him with a friend. _Not has been, but did cheat, if what Elliot said was true_. Kurt shook his head at himself, why was he making excuses for him? Cheating is cheating, whether it's once, twice, fifty times, it doesn't matter. Elliot cheated.

There was a soft knock at the door which brought Kurt out of his thoughts, probably for the best. Without even getting a response the door creaked open and Carol poked her head in. Once she saw Kurt was awake a bright smile took over her face.

"Hey sweetie, you're up." She said more as a statement than a question.

Kurt nodded and sat up in his bed, leaning against the headboard. "Yeah I just got up a few minutes ago. What time is it?" He looked around for a clock.

"It's after 1:00," Carol answered and stepped into the room. "I wanted to wake up before you slept too long and won't be able to sleep tonight." She smiled softly.

Kurt loved Carol. She had been an amazing addition to his family and although he knew she never tried to take the place of his mother, she did an amazing job at being the mother he didn't have anymore.

"I have to run to the store to grab some stuff for dinner. I'm hoping you'll still be here when I get back?" Her eyebrows raised curiously.

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I should be here. I—" He paused not sure what to say next. "I guess I don't really have anywhere else to be."

Carol's smile faltered just a slightly. If he blinked he would've missed it. "Okay sweetie. Well, your dad is at the garage checking in on things. You know whenever he's home from Washington he's constantly at the garage reliving his mechanic days. I swear if he could he would do all his congressman work under the hood of a Honda."

Kurt laughed at the image, knowing how factual that statement was.

"There's some coffee downstairs and everything is still where it's always been if you get hungry or anything. And your dad runs your car constantly to make sure it's up to par so if you feel like getting out or going to meet him at the garage you can. You have your keys right?"

"Yeah I keep them on my keychain still." He responded.

"Perfect." Carol smiled again and began to exit the room. As she reached the door she turned

and smiled again. "It's so good to see you Kurt."

Kurt returned the smile. "You too Carol."

He watched the woman that had join his family walk out and close his door and the smile he shown her continued. Carol being apart of the family had changed his life and knowing that when he needs to come home, unannounced, that he would be welcomed and taken care of made him feel like he belonged somewhere. Especially right now, when he felt that he didn't have a place he belonged.

A small chime came from his phone on the nightstand next to his bed. He looked at the phone and dreaded reaching for it. He had basically left his phone turned off for the last twelve hours. The only reason he'd turned it on in the first place was to text his boss and let him know he had an emergency and needed to leave town immediately. After sending that text he had thrown his phone down and past out. Though he didn't really consider it sleeping, rather it was more tossing and turning and replaying a scene he wished he could escape.

Grabbing his phone he was not at all surprised to see at least a hundred notifications. Two missed calls from his boss, a few emails from work, a text from Finn, three from Rachel, and everything else was an array of texts, missed calls, and voicemails from Elliot. The most recent of which said

 _Kurt you can't just disappear like this. I am worried and even if you don't want to talk at least let me know that you are ok_

Kurt ignored it.

He tossed his phone on his bed and forced himself to get up. He stretched the best he could but the restless sleep had not been kind to his body. Walking over to his bathroom the first thing he saw in the mirror was how puffy his face was. _God why did I cry over him? My face looks so fucking fat now._ There wasn't much he could do besides hop in the shower and pray that his face would sort itself out in the next hour or so.

He didn't have all of his expensive skincare products with him, being in a rush to get out of there had meant only the essentials. So Kurt used whatever products he'd left in his bathroom last time he was here. The water was hot which was nice and relaxing to his aching muscles.

 _Maybe it'll help relieve some tightness in my chest_.

Once he felt like he'd washed off the flight and the horrid sleep, he got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his body. Truthfully, Kurt knew he had so many things he needed to sort out. The first of which was work. How long could he realistically be gone from the city on short notice and keep his job. He had been working as content creator for the last year and a half, when he moved to San Francisco he had been lucky enough to be able to transfer his job with no problem. Now he didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't want to move from the city and leave the good things that had come with it. Like his job and the few friends that he had made—the ones that didn't suck his boyfriend's dick. But San Francisco is only seven miles long and somehow everyone knows each other and it would only be a matter of time before he found himself in Elliot's presence. Or around someone that knew Elliot.

But at this moment he couldn't bring himself to think about that. He needed to find his father, that was what really mattered. So he toweled off, pulled together the most casual outfit he had, and made his way downstairs. Once he grabbed his keys and unlocked his beloved Cadillac Escalade, he relaxed a bit more, knowing that he was truly home. He climbed in and started to engine and began his way to his second home: Hummel Tires & Lube.

* * *

Honestly thank you all so much for your love on this story so far! I had been hesitant to even start writing in this fandom again because I felt like no one would read it but you guys have been some nice and well receipting of it so thank you! I am going to try and post twice a week, that is my goal and hopefully I can stick to it! You just have to keep bugging me about it! Comment and let me know how you guys feel so far. xx


	3. home sweet home

Not much had changed with the shop since the last Kurt had been here. Everything on the exterior of the building was the same, though he would admit the it looked a little brighter. Who knows if that is because there was possibly as fresh paint of coat on the building, or if he had just been gone so long that everything looked different. Or maybe the only image he had burned into his brain is the look of Elliot's face in the dark, rainy sky in San Francisco so anything he saw in Lima would look brighter to him.

He pulled his car into a spot outside of the shop and jumped out. Normally, he would walk into the shop like he owned the place (which he technically did) and make his presence known. Today he walked in, arms folded and head slightly bent, trying to be as invisible as possible.

"Hummel?" A voice said as soon as he was inside the shop.

The voice sounded familiar and Kurt wasn't sure why until he turned around and was met with hazel green eyes. "Puck."

Noah Puckerman stood before him in all his tanned muscular glory. He didn't look much different from last Kurt had saw him, which was almost a year back when he'd been home for Christmas. He had joined the Navy and was a lot more mature then. And now he stood, head shaved, crooked smirk on, and dressed in coveralls with grease all over his hands.

"Look what the city blew in." The tall man said as he wiped his hands.

Kurt nodded. "Well, someone has to come back and remind you Lima folk what class looks like."

Puck chuckled and motioned with his head for Kurt to come to him. "C'mere Princess."

There had been some kind of unspoken friendship that flourished between Puck and Kurt sometime during their senior year. After the torment the former running back had once inflicted on him, Kurt himself was surprised that the two could ever get along. But when Kurt was going through all of his issues with Karofsky Puck had stood up for him, even more than his step-brother had. And during their senior year they found themselves in each other's presence a lot more and somehow found a way to be friendly.

Kurt walked over and allowed Puck to wrap his arms around him. Kurt mimicked the gesture and found him hugging the boy tighter.

"Good to see you Princess." Noah said into his hair.

Kurt pulled back while rolling his eyes. "Jesus Puckerman, will you ever give that nickname up. I'm not a helpless Princess anymore." Puck raised his eyebrows and laughed. "Correction! I never was."

"Whatever you say Princess." Puck raised his hands in mock surrender before turning around and walking back to a beat up Chevy he was working on.

"So what are you doing here anyways?" Kurt asked, following him to the car.

He watched as Puck started working on the engine. "I started working here with your dad like a year ago. Didn't you know?"

Kurt folded his eyes and rolled his eyes. "Guess that hiring process wasn't approved through me."

He watched Puck shake his head and chuckle again. "Yeah well, I guess you were veto'd out of that vote. Finn let your old man know when I got back into town and I needed a job so he helped me out." He looked up from the car into Kurt's eyes. "Promise we'll send a telegram next time."

"Whatever Puck." He said and looked around the shop. "Where's my dad anyways?"

"Office." Puck grunted out as he twisted the wrench in his hand to tighten a screw.

Kurt nodded and began to make his way to the offie in the back of the shop. As soon as he opened the door and spotted his father squinting at the computer screen, scratching his head, he felt like things hadn't ever changed.

"You know you should probably hire someone to manage all of that." He teased while making himself known.

His dad looked up with a smug look. "Yeah, you! I'm hoping this spur of the moment trip means you've finally decided that big fancy city of yours is all bullshit and you want to manage the shop for me."

"Aren't you afraid that I'll have show tunes playing over the intercom and leave rainbow stickers on everyone's bumpers saying thank you come again?" He teased.

"At this point I would be fine with that if it meant you were dealing with these numbers instead of me." His dad exhaled and leaned back in his chair with his hands folded behind his head. "Take a seat kid, I think we have some stuff to talk about."

He'd been anticipating this from the moment he woke up this morning. He knew that the second he saw his father he was going to have to explain why he'd rushed home. His dad had liked Elliot when he met him, but that was all going to go flying out the window in a moment.

"So what's up kid?"

Kurt looked down at his hands and he sat down. He sighed deeply before spewing, "I caught Elliot cheating on me" and looking up at his father.

His dad didn't react instantly like he'd thought he would. He expected things to be thrown and his dad needing to be restrained back three of the guys working the shop.

"So what're you going to do?" He dad asked calmly.

Kurt sighed again and leaned back in the seat. "Honestly dad I don't know. The first thing I thought about doing was throwing shards of glass at both of them. But then all I could do was cry and pack a bag and get the hell out of there."

His dad nodded, the same worn out red cap on his head. His dad was getting older and no matter how much Kurt had tried to encourage him to moisturize, it clearly wasn't preventing the aging. He wasn't full of wrinkles or anything, but the years were starting to catch up with him. His dad ran his hand down his face and nodded. "Okay. Well first you need to call your job and make sure they know you're here and then the rest, we'll figure out."

"Thanks dad." Kurt was forcing the tears not to start forming in his eyes but his throat was getting that tight feeling he'd dealt with all last night.

"You know that you're perfect right?" His dad continued. "And I'm not just saying that because I'm your dad. I'm saying it because I have watched you go through hell and back for your whole life kid. You've been through some shit, and that's putting it lightly. You've dealt with stuff that other people your age probably never will. And guess what? You survived it. And you will survive this too."

At this point there was no stopping the tears that had been building. Kurt used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe his face and he mentally kicked himself for getting back to the weak person he had been last night.

"I just d-don't know w-what I did wrong daddy." He said through sobs.

His dad was up out of his seat instantly and pulling Kurt up into a hug. He didn't say anything. He just held him his arms and squeezed tight. Kurt's arms found their way around his dad and he held on for dear life. All of his tears started to fall out and he let it happen. He'd held back a lot of crying on the plane and the ride home so it seemed that every tear he had left in his body was escaping at this point.

He wasn't sure how long he had been in his dad's arm but he knew that it was everything he needed. When he had finally finished crying, and his dad released him, he could honestly say that he felt better.

"You know, I never really liked that Idiot guy anyways. He wore workout clothes for everything." His dad joked.

Kurt laughed a snotty laugh as he tried to wipe his face. "Yeah he adapted to the San Francisco wardrobe pretty quickly."

"You're better off kid." His dad kissed his head and went back around the desk to take a seat. "I'm serious though. Feel free to move home and take care of the books for me."

"Speaking of hiring, when did you hire Puck?" Kurt questioned as he walked around the desk. He pulled his dad up and shooed him away from the computer before he took his seat.

His dad walked to the coffee machine and started to pour a cup. "Oh Puckerman came home about a year ago after he was discharged. I figured if I didn't give him a job he'd end up doing something stupid."

Kurt clicked around through the invoices and nodded. "Sounds about right."

"He's a good kid though. He's been working hard ever since—" His dad stopped abruptly causing Kurt to look up .

"Since what?" Kurt asked curious.

The door swung open and one of the longtime shop guys peaked his head in. "Hey Burt sorry to interrupt but Eddie Nelson is outside and he wants to say hey since you're in. Oh hey Kurtie how are you kiddo?"

Kurt smiled even though that nickname was disgusting. "Hi Joe, I'm doing good. How's the family?"

"Same ol'. Hannah turned seven and now all she wants to do is sing and dance around. She must've somehow inherited that from you."

They shared a laugh and his dad chuckled as he set a cup of coffee down on the desk for Kurt. "i'm gonna go say hey. You good in here?"

Kurt nodded. "Don't worry by the time you're done our books will be done and we'll have more money in our pockets."

His dad winked at him before walking out to the shop. Kurt smiled and turned back to the computer and started organizing the invoices the guys at the shop had made such a mess of.

* * *

again thank you for all the reviews and reviews and favorites and all that stuff! and for letting me know what you guys think so far! Noah is finally introduced in this chapter and i made it pretty interesting i would say what do you think? like i said i want to upload twice a week and i am leaning towards tuesdays and thursdays. thoughts?  
xx


	4. adult up

That night when Kurt got home, after somehow managing to clean up the mess that was the shop's numbers, he felt more drained than earlier. Maybe it was the number crunching or maybe it was all of the events from the last twenty-four hours finally creeping up on him, but either way he was exhausted.

When he walked in the door, he was welcomed by the smell of a home cooked meal circulating through the house. He wasn't all that surprised that Carol was cooking, it was something she loved to do. In fact, they often found themselves making meals together back when he was still in high school and everyone lived under one roof. But ever since graduation and the move to New York and then to San Francisco, there were very few times that everyone was able to meet and stay in one house.

Kurt made his way into the kitchen and watched as Carol chopped up some onions.

"You need a hand?" Kurt asked as he walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

Carol's hands kept chopping away as she answered. "Oh no sweetie I'm in the zone. You and I both know if I let you help our small meal will turn into Thanksgiving dinner."

The two shared a laugh in agreement. "Who says Thanksgiving in May is such a terrible idea?" Kurt joked.

"You have a point there. But you know your brother will never let us hear the end of it if we did something like that and he wasn't here to eat us under the table."

Kurt smiled as he imagined the temper tantrum Finn would have if word got out. "You're right. Maybe we'll just save it for November."

Carol's hand stilled and she looked up to make eye contact with him. "Will you be here in November?"

That was an excellent question. Truthful, Kurt didn't know where he was going to be in a week's time let alone six months from now. At the moment he only knew that he was here. He shrugged in response and made his hands busy with pulling plates from the cupboard.

"I talked to your dad earlier." Carol said, her knife regaining it's momentum. "He filled me in on what's going on."

Kurt didn't say anything, he just went to the drawer and started grabbing some silverware.

"I'm sure you don't want to talk about it right now, and I totally understand that. But Kurt," She said hoping to get his attention. He looked up at the mention of his name and looked at the sincerity that was hovering in his step-mother's eyes. "I just want you to know that if and when you are ever ready to talk, you can always come to me."

Again, all he felt like he could do was nod. He'd been so distracted all day with helping around at the shop that he hadn't had time to think about _him_ or the situation that had happened the day before. But now, hearing his stepmom talk about it and attempting to console him, it was all starting to come back to the forefront of his mind. He didn't want to think about it, but it wasn't like he could hide away forever and pretend that he didn't have responsibilities to uphold. And even though _He_ had broken his heart and he didn't want to, he knew he needed to reach out and handle his loose ends.

Carol must have picked up on his thoughts cause she put the knife down and wiped her hands on the kitchen towel on the counter. "Here," She said walking around the island. "Why don't you let me handle setting the table and you go and freshen up. I'm sure your dad will be home any second so won't be too long before we can eat."

Kurt nodded and set the plates down. Before he could walk away he felt a light hand land on his shoulder and give a little squeeze. He turned to Carol and smiled. She just gave him a little nod before turning back to the counter and grabbing the plates and silverware.

As he walked up the stairs to his room, all of the thoughts he'd been trying to avoid were flooding in. He needed to officially end things with Elliot. He needed to reach out to his boss and handle his business. He needed to sit down and figure out what the hell he was going to do now.

Part of him thought that maybe he could just drop everything and move back to Lima to do exactly what he dad wanted him to: work at the shop and manage the place. Lord knows it would be an easy gig. He could live a quiet life back in Lima and just hide from all of the pain that awaited him back in the city. But did he really want to be back here? Was being the manager of Hummel's Tire & Lube the dream?

He took a seat on his bed and pulled out his phone for the first time in what seemed like ages. He mustered up a deep breath and released it as he finally allowed the adult in him to come forth. He started off with his boss. He tried to keep it as profession as possible, but let him know that he had a very bad break up and he needed to get out of the house that he had been living in with his boyfriend. He explained that the only place he had to go was back home in Ohio and that as soon as he could get a solid plan he would return to his job. He pitched a few ideas to his boss on how he could make it work long distance for a couple of weeks and hoped that his job was still secure. Once he read through his email twice he sent it off and took a deep breath as he prepared for the hard part.

He found Elliot's contact and before he could talk himself out of it he hit call and placed the phone to his ear.

"Kurt!" It hadn't even rung one full time before the familiar voice called his name.

He'd be lying if he said his heart didn't flutter a little bit at first. But the flutter was instantly overpowered by the pain.

"I've been fucking worried Kurt! Oh my god, are you okay? Where are you?" Elliot rambled.

Kurt inhaled and answered, "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me anymore."

Elliot paused for a second and neither said anything. They both just listened to the sound of the other breathing into the phone.

"Kurt I am so sorry for everything." Elliot finally said.

Kurt didn't respond.

"I know that I fucked up big time and I will do _anything_ to make it right again. Please, just come home."

Again Kurt couldn't find anything to say.

"Say something, please!"

"I just wanted to call and let you know that I am okay. You can stop calling and texting me because I don't have anything to say to you." Kurt was proud of himself for getting that out without cracking.

"So that's it?" Elliot said, and his voice did crack. "After all this time you're just going to ice me out after one mistake? Kurt I love you and I am so sorry."

"I know you are." Kurt interrupted. "But I can't accept your sorry's. I have to go. Don't call me."

He wished in this moment flip phones were still a thing. The force of him hitting the end button on his iPhone wasn't as impressive as it would have been to snap shut a flip phone and toss it on the bed in triumph. But he would take what he could get. And right now, what he got was a small weight off of his shoulder.

The door to his room creaked open and his dad poked his head in. "Hey you alright kid?"

Kurt nodded and the small smile that graced his lips was a genuine one.

"Alright good, c'mon let's eat." His dad said and gestured for him to follow. Kurt nodded and got off his bed feeling better, even if only a little bit.

* * *

hope you enjoyed! from this point on i would say that there will be a stronger puck/kurt presence and you will definitely start to see their interaction flourish and become something. just needed to tie up the breakup a little bit...for now. let me know what you thought! see you tuesday xx


	5. routine

It had been two weeks since Kurt had made his return to Lima, Ohio. Two weeks since the love of his life cheated on him and somehow he was the one that ran away crying. But it had all worked out seemingly well, Kurt would admit. Once he had calmed down enough to email his boss about his situation, Edward, his production manager, had worked out a way that Kurt could continue his developing content and keep his job from his location. It wasn't necessarily a permanent solution, but it had been working the last couple of weeks.

Now, Kurt just had to get his work done at home, take a few conference calls and Skype sessions with his team, and he was good. He still wasn't sure if or when he would return to San Francisco, and if he did, he definitely had no clue where he would live. But at this moment, he wasn't too worried about it. He was content being in his childhood home, with all of the things he had at one point loved and treasured so dearly, and somehow ended up falling from his radar.

In addition to his real job, Kurt had kept his promise to his dad and was helping out with the shop's books too. The smarter thing would've been to force his dad to hire someone that could actually look after them for when (if) Kurt went back to the city. But with his dad constantly traveling back and forth to Washington D.C. for congress stuff, it didn't seem like a good time to bring it up. So instead, Kurt just handled the business side of the shop. He went in a couple days a week and took care of payroll and invoices and making sure that parts were ordered and stocked and whatever else to guys at the shop needed. Then he'd come back home, get some work done, spend some time with Carol, and retreat to his room where he's put on some show to binge watch—currently it was _Golden Girls_ (again).

It had been a simple little life the last two weeks. And most importantly it had all been happening without hearing or seeing his ex. Well, he could only assume it was safe to call him his ex, even though the words had never been uttered to each other, Kurt was sure it was very clear they were no longer together.

Even as Kurt sat in the office of the shop, finalizing some paperwork for parts, he felt happy and free of all stress that he had returned to Lima with.

"Knock, knock," A familiar voice spoke.

Kurt looked up at his former glee club companion leaning against the doorframe of the office, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Hi Puck," Kurt said plainly and returned his attention to the papers before him.

He assumed the man would come in, and he was proven right when he heard the chair across from him scrape against the ground. "Why so serious Princess?"

"I am trying to make sure you have everything you need to fix Mr. Jackson's motor in time." He replied not looking up from the papers. "And if I don't get this order out by 6:00 pm today it's going to push it al back and it's going to be a mess."

"You know Mr. Jackson is like, the nicest old man in Lima right?" Puck questioned with an almost laugh. "He wouldn't care if it was three years behind schedule as long as he got it back at some point."

Kurt rolled his eyes and met the other man's eyes. "Yes well, my name happens to be on the big sign hanging above this place, and I'd rather not get a reputation for making clients wait."

The older man nodded. "Geez Hummel, guess the big city really turned you into a business man huh?"

"Please," Kurt scoffed, as he clicked around on the computer looking for the ordering website. "I have been practically running this place since I was twelve. Don't let the designer boots fool you Puckerman, I know my way around a car and an invoice."

Puck chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry Princess I have full belief that you know what you're doing."

Kurt finished typing in the address and double checking everything was there and then clicked the order button and printed the confirmation. "So what's up?" He asked as he walked to the printer to grab the order.

"I finished the Hyundai and Rico is going to finish up the Toyota so I was thinking about heading out." Puck explained, leaning back comfortably in the chair.

"Oh," There was a hint of surprise in his tone. "Okay then. You know I might be the boss' son but I'm not really your boss Puck. You don't have to check in with me."

Puck smiled and again chucked. "I'm flattered you thought that's why I came in here Princess, but I was really just gonna come and pick up my check."

Kurt mentally facepalmed himself. _Of course that's what he's doing in here. Why would he need to check in with me?_ Kurt nodded and walked over to the filing cabinet and opened up the drawer that held the checks.

He found Puck's and walked over to the desk and handed it to him. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Puck said, but made no moves to get up.

Kurt was stapling the order confirmation to the invoice and consultation report when he noticed Puck hadn't moved. He looked up at the man, brows scrunched. "What?"

"Let's go get a beer?" Was all the other man said.

Kurt's brows scrunched even more, if that was possible. "A _beer_?" He exclaimed. "Puckerman when have you ever known me to drink beer?"

Puck laughed and shrugged. "I don't know what you drink! I figured maybe some of the college lifestyle rubbed off on you and you'd had a few keg stand stories under you Versace belt or whatever."

"It's Gucci," Kurt replied nonchalantly.

"Whatever," Puck rolled his eyes. "Regardless, I feel like you need a drink. So let's get one."

"Thanks for the offer Puck, but I think I'm going to finish up here and head home." He replied and walked to the file cabinet again to file the Jackson folder.

"Again?"

Kurt turned around suddenly and made what could only be called a deer in the headlights look at the man still leaning back oh so comfortably in his chair.

"Look, I'm not trying to be all up in your business but it's clear that all you've done since you got back is work and go home." Puck explained. "And I don't even know why you're all of a sudden back here, but the point is: you're back. And not too many people know it either I'm assuming."

Kurt looked down at his hands fiddling with the folder before he turned around and finally filed the damn thing.

"Puck—"

"Hey I'm not trying to get the dirty details out of you Princess," Puck interrupted. "I just want to help you relax a little bit. I'm sure when you were back in that big city you weren't going from home to work and back again on an endless cycle like you're doing here."

He wished he could say something super smug or bitchy just to get the other man off his back, but the thing about his, whatever you would call it, with Puck is that ever since senior year the bitchiness and back and forth digs were always playful and minimal. And he knew if he made a snap comment now it would take them back to sophomore year.

Puck must have taken his silence as a hint, cause the chair scraped against the ground again which caused Kurt to turn around and see the other man standing up.

"Hey, no pressure babe," He said shrugging while he put his check in his pocket. "I'm outta here, but if you change your mind I'm gonna head over to this bar a few blocks down. it's called Micky's."

Kurt nodded and then watched the other man walk out.

* * *

a few things: first, thank you thank you so much to everyone that is reading and leaving reviews and comments it means so much to me and i love hearing your thoughts. second, i just want to let everyone know that there will be a lot of information revealed in the next few chapters that will clear up any timeline questions or how canon the story is to the show and etc., so stay tuned.

this chapter is definitely on the shorter/fluffier/filler chapter side just because it gets very jam packed with information and plot especially in the next like two chapters so i wanted something to like lead into it. hope you enjoyed and thursday will be a nice chapter to look forward too! xx


	6. a new scene

Micky's was not at all the kind of place Kurt would _ever_ have found himself walking into. Hell, even from just pulling up and parking he knew that this wasn't his scene. The outside was very rustic and western looking, which made no sense based on location. He couldn't deny that the old, almost worn down look of the placed added…character.

He honestly wasn't even sure why he had come here in the first place. After Puck had left he sat and pondered first, why he was invited and secondly, why he should even consider going. It was true, he was pretty lonely. But that should be expected when you spontaneously uproot your life and end up back in your hometown in your same childhood room with your parents again. And to make it worse he really didn't have anyone to lean on. He'd kept communication with Finn and Rachel very brief. He'd just given them the briefest of details and told them that he was safe and okay. The few friends he did have in San Francisco were also Elliot's friends. He didn't want to risk reaching out or responding to any of them and have Elliot somehow find a form of communication to him. (He had been dodging all cals, texts, emails, etc. from the curly haired cheater for the last two weeks.) So the only real communication he's had over the last two weeks have been with his parents and whichever of the guys at the shop come in the office to ask him work related questions.

But then there'd also been Puck. Who comes into work and greets him every morning, before he even gets into his coveralls. Sometimes he'd come in and have a full conversation with Kurt before he'd get on with his day. And there's been times he'd offer to have lunch with him, which Kurt would pass on because he wasn't eating much these days anyways. But he'd been nice. So maybe he could be Kurt's new friend.

At least that was the thought process behind making the trip to this bar after he'd finished all of the paperwork for the day. He'd decided to finish everything he could today and take the next day off to focus on stuff for his _actual_ job. But maybe he could enjoy one night out, heaven knows he needs one.

But that thought was starting to lose its place once he stepped inside of the place. He was instantly in a dark bar playing some country song he's sure his dad used to play when he was young. There were big hairy men lined up holding beers and girls in crop tops and tight jeans line dancing. This was his first time in a country bar and he was ready for it to be his last.

He had just started thinking it was a bad idea when an arm snaked around his waist and pulled him to the side.

"Watch yourself Princess, don't want you getting rounded up and thrown on the bull or anything." Puck said with a smirk.

Kurt straightened himself up and tried to put on a strong face even though inside the sixteen year old boy that was the only out kid in Lima was making a reappearing act.

"What kind of place did you bring me to Puckerman?" He demanded, though his voice was mellow.

The Jewish man laughed and took a sip of beer. "Relax. It's a country bar not a conversation therapy camp."

"Could've fooled me." Kurt muttered under his breath.

It clearly wasn't as quiet as he thought it was because Puck bumped his shoulder against his teasingly. "Grab a drink and everything will start getting fun."

Puck led them to the bar where he ordered himself another beer before turning to Kurt for his order. "Uhm, tequila and orange juice I guess."

The bartender nodded and started putting ice in a glass. Kurt met Puck's eyes, which were currently giving him a wide look.

"What?"

Puck shook his head and smirked. "Pretty boy Hummel getting loco with the tequila? Impressive!"

Kurt scoffed and stuck his hands in his pockets to keep them busy. "Well, after the month I've had I would say that I deserve it.

"Ahh," Puck said and handed him his drink. "So is tonight the night I finally get the story behind why the big city boy has made a return home?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes and stirred his straw in his drink. "No." He said plainly. "But play your cards right and you might make it out with all of your body parts if you don't bring it up again."

Puck tossed his head back in laughter. Kurt didn't think he was that funny but I guess it was.

"Hey, guess I might be a pinkie short at the end of the night. Cause I want the deats!"

Again, Kurt's eyes naturally rolled as he took a sip of his drink. There was definitely more tequila than orange juice and he loved it.

"Must you be so nosey Puckerman? Has adulthood taught you nothing?"

"Adulthood has taught me that people like talking about their problems more than they let up. _Especially_ , when you get a drink or two in them." He punctuated his sentence with a wink, clearly for comedic effect.

"Aren't you wise." Kurt teased.

"Hey," The taller man shrugged. "Who said you can't be brains and beauty anymore?"

Kurt gave a small laugh and then turned around to take in the bar once more. The decor was without a doubt the most heinous thing Kurt had ever seen, and that's including having lived through the reindeer sweater phase Rachel Berry once went through. The walls were sanded down old wood, just like the floors. And any inch of wall space that wasn't covered with photos of old patrons line dancing or riding the mechanical bull was covered with some form of tacky old western movie posters.

"Not your scene?" Puck asked, pulling Kurt's attention away from the dance floor where two women were catching on to the line dance.

Kurt shook his head and turned back around to face the bar. "Not really. But I mean who knows maybe this is where I belong. My regular scene hasn't been cutting it so maybe these are my true people." He teased.

"Please!" Puck scoffed. "The day I walk in and find you here, enjoying yourself more than I would be is the day pigs fly."

Kurt couldn't help the small amount of laughter that escaped. "Why Mr. Puckerman," He started in his more exaggerated country accent. "I reckon you don't know nothin' bout havin' a good ol' time here at Mickey's saloon."

Puck's hand instantly covered his face. "God, Kurt please stop. This is embarrassing for both of us."

"What's the matter lil' darlin'?" Kurt continued. "Neva' had a _fine_ country gentleman at your service?"

"Yo, Josh get me two shots of whiskey please." Puck said completely avoiding Kurt, who was laughing harder than ever now.

Kurt took a seat on the barstool next to Puck finally and took another sip of his drink.

The bartender, Josh, came and set two shot glasses in front of the men and filled them up with some whiskey Kurt had never seen or heard of. Puck instantly pushed one of the shots to Kurt and turned his body sideways on his stool to face Kurt.

"If you want to act like a country man you need to drink like a country man." Puck insisted. "C'mon, bottoms up Princess."

Kurt looked down at the shot and then up to the man who'd offered it to him. "Puck I can't drink that."

"But what happened to that ' _fine country gentleman'_ that was just here a minute ago?" He teased. Puck leaned forward until he was right in Kurt's personal space and muttered, "You're not too chicken are you?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and pushed the other man's shoulder playfully. "I'm not Finn you know? That whole "insult my manhood until I do something stupid" tactic doesn't really work on me."

"Fair enough." Puck said with a simple shrug. He picked both shots up and held one out to Kurt still. "Then just do it because you fucking can."

Kurt looked again at the shot and then back to his companion. Puck was very persuasive, anyone that'd ever encountered the man would be able to attest to that. There was just something about him that made it so easy to fall into his trap and continue to be sucked in. Like now for instance, when Kurt had been so against even showing up to this God forsaken bar in the first place, he'd somehow ended up here still, and was considering taking a shot that he knew would no doubt come back to bite him in the ass tomorrow morning.

Even with that in mind, he still took the shot out of the other man's hand and raised it to him.

"Cheers Puck." He said clinking the glasses together before bringing it to his lips and swallowing the shot in one gulp.

The burn was to be expected and even though he fought so hard not to, he made a face of disgust once the taste kicked in.

"Jesus that's disgusting." He exclaimed.

Puck laughed and patted him on the back. "That'll teach you to claim to be a country gentleman."

"Puck," He said and made eye contact with the man. "Shut up."

All the other man did was laugh and go back to his beer. They both sat there for a second, smiles present on each of their faces.

"But really, what brings you back?" Puck finally asks after a moment of comfortable silence.

Instantly the fun lighthearted moment between them is gone and Kurt is stiffening up again. Suddenly he is reminded just why he is here and what that means. Over the last few years Kurt has been very happy and almost nothing has been able to break his spirit. But just in the last two weeks alone he has been brought back to a place he'd been in back in his McKinnley days. Where he didn't feel like talking and would keep to himself.

"You know, one of my favorite things you've ever done is so stupid and you probably never even knew it." Puck says.

Kurt is sure he'd picked up on how reserved Kurt had started to get and decided switching the subject was probably a safer route than reaching for the answer he really wanted.

"And what would that be?"

Puck turned again on his stool to face him. The way he was now facing, his legs were open to where if he pulled Kurt's chair closer he would be right in between the other's legs.

"When we graduated, and we were all going our own ways and everyone had there plans and somehow you were the only one who's dreams weren't going to come true, you stayed positive for everyone else around you you know? Like you went to that damn train station and wished Rachel the best even though she sorta stole your dream. And you helped Finn with his army stuff and you just were supportive of everyone.

"And I especially liked that even though I was kinda a dick to you most of our life, you still were the first person to send me a letter when I was deployed."

Kurt snapped his head to face him in surprise. "I was the first person?"

The other man nodded. He then reached for his beer and raised it to his mouth. "Also, you called me Noah in them, and I like that a lot." He said and then drank his beer.

Kurt looked forward again and said nothing. He hadn't realized that anything he'd ever done had made an impact to the man sitting next to him. Let alone the simple act of calling him by his name.

He raised his hand and flagged down the bartender. "Joshua, do me a favor and get us another round of shots please?" He turned and looked at the man next to him who was currently wearing a face of surprise. "Noah and I are going to need a few more drinks if I'm gonna tell him my hell of a story."

* * *

and so the true romance is about to begin. trust me this is just the beginning of the love story but definitely is the kick off. hope you enjoyed so far. see you tuesday xx


	7. workin' 9 to 5

_What number shot is this?_ Kurt asked himself as he tossed back yet another whiskey shot. Somehow he and Noah had taken more than just one additional shot and had relocated from the bar to a table off to the side of the bar. And bartender Josh had not stopped the shots from flowing over to their new section. It was like every time one shot was finished and a sentence was spoken another shot somehow reappeared.

And at this point it was safe to say Kurt was hammered. He was enjoying Noah's company which in and of itself was a sign that something was different about his state of mind. Normally, he got along with the Jewish man across from him, especially in recent years. But the thing about that friendly interaction was it only happened rarely. When Kurt had been home last year he saw Noah for Christmas, but only because Rachel and Finn were also home for the holidays and insisted that he come and join the Hummel-Hudson Christmas dinner. They had spoken and were polite but it wasn't anything special.

Tonight was very different.

For starters Finn was no where in sight. And there was about half a bottle of Jameson in their systems. And up until this moment the conversation had been light and fun which had made Kurt feel a little uneasy, because he wasn't used to seeing Noah in this manner. Sure he'd seen the other man drunk before but he'd never seen him drunk and actually tried to have a decent conversation with him about anything. That was something new, and if he was being honest he kind of liked it.

"Alright Princess, you're drunk as a skunk, out with the secrets already!" Noah said in a teasing manner. He seemed a lot less drunk than Kurt but it was probably just from experience. "Why're you back?"

Kurt rested his elbow on the table and leaned forward, his head in his hand with narrowed eyes and a dopey smile. "Why're _you_ back Noah Puckerman?" He questioned in return.

Noah laughed and pointed at Kurt. "Okay fair enough. But I'm only telling after you do."

Kurt held out his pinky to the other man. "Pinky promise?" He asked and his level of intoxication was starting to show.

A tanned pinky connected with his and locked on tight. "Pinky promise."

That seemed to be good enough for Kurt. _I mean, who would break a pinky promise?_ He tried reasoning with himself.

"Well," He blew out an exaggerated sigh. "I guess the short story is that my dickhead of a boyfriend decided he'd rather have his cock gargled by our stupid, ugly, fashionless friend Paul than to keep his loyalty with me." Kurt fake smiled and shrugged.

He leaned back against his chair and watched the other man process his words. The lightheartedness that had been floating between them was suddenly non-existent and Kurt so desperate wished he hadn't even said anything. It's not like he and Noah were super close and it mattered what he thought or anything but, if he was being honest with himself (which in this drunken state he didn't have an option to not be) he didn't want to be looked at the way he knew was coming. Any second now, Noah's eyes were going to go soft on him and he would look at Kurt like the fragile little boy that had gotten bullied so much he had to transfer schools. He knew that any second Noah would start feeling sorry for him and pitying him for his sudden state and start victimizing him. That had been part of the reason he hadn't even reached out to tell any of his friends about what had happened. In fact he still hadn't really made any attempt to explain things to people. The only reason Finn and Rachel knew was because Carol told Finn after his brother had called him multiple times with no response. He hadn't even talked to either of them yet himself because if the twelve "are you okay?" texts Rachel had sent him were any indication of how the conversation would go, he didn't want to hear it.

So sitting here now, having finally spoken the words aloud he knew he was about to get the sympathy and he hated it.

"Wow what a fucking asshole!" Noah exclaimed. That had definitely not been the response he was expecting.

Kurt nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know."

"Dude, please tell me you like punched him in the nose or something equally as mutilating?" Noah leaned forward with his eyebrows raised.

"Unfortunately not Noah," Kurt said and took a sip of the beer that had landed in front of him some time ago. "I couldn't bring myself to do or say much of anything. I just grabbed my stuff and left."

The other man slammed his fist on the table which made Kurt jump in surprise. He looked at the man with wide eyes.

"Let's get on a plane right now and I'll go rearrange his face for you Princess!" He stood up suddenly. "I'll even let you decide where to put everything. Like Mr. Potatohead."

Kurt could help the laughter from flowing. He reach across the table and grabbed the mechanic's arm and pulled him back down to sit. "As much as I appreciate that Noah, it's not worth it. Besides you're a ex Air Force something or another, you could get in trouble for that. Right?"

"Eh," Noah shrugged. "All I'd have to say is I was defending a Princess' honor and they'll give me a friggin' purple heart!"

"You are so exhausting." Kurt said and rubbed his eyes for dramatic effect.

"Is that you sly way of saying you want to take a nap with me?" Noah asked with a smirk.

"Anyways," Kurt interjected hoping to change the direction of the conversation back to the other man. He opened his mouth to speak but his voice paused when he heard the song that was beginning to play over the speakers.

Noah looked at him confused. "What's wrong?" He asked, the concern in his voice very authentic.

Kurt squealed and clapped his hand when he realized the introduction melody to the song was indeed the song he'd thought it was. "I love this song!" He exclaimed.

The once jock looked around and tried to recognize the tune and was stumped. "Uh, what song?"

Kurt's look of pure horror could slice someone in half if possible. He was giving Medusa a run for her money. "What song?" Kurt asked. "What song?" He said again but louder.

"Only the most iconic country song to ever grace this land we can Earth! A song that used typewriter key strokes as an instrument! By the one and only country goddess herself!" Kurt explained and when he saw that none of this was making a difference for the man sitting across from him he shook his head and began to sing along.

" _Tumble out of bed, And stumble to the kitchen, Pour myself a cup of ambition, And yawn and stretch and try to come to life,_ " He sung to the music. " _Jump in the shower, And the blood starts pumpin'. Out on the streets, the traffic starts jumpin', For folks like me on the job from 9 to 5,_ "

Had Kurt been more sober (he wouldn't have started to bust out into song for starters) but he would have noticed some of the people around him starting to watch him. He also would have noticed the smiles being thrown his way as he sung. As the chorus started he stood up boldly and pointed to the man across from him.

" _Workin' 9 to 5, What a way to make a livin', Barely gettin' by, It's all takin' and no givin'_ " Noah smiled at him while he continued to sing. "T _hey just use your mind, And they never give you credit, It's enough to drive you, Crazy if you let it_

" _9 to 5, For service and devotion, You would think that I, Would deserve a fat promotion,Want to move ahead, But the boss won't seem to let me,_ " Kurt walked around the table until he was face to face with Noah and continued to sing, " _I swear sometimes that man is, Out to get me, hmmm_ "

Noah was certainly enjoying the small performance as were some of the people around them. Kurt finally looked to the left of him and saw a small group of people smile his way and clapping along to the beat. He should have started feeling embarrassed but instead he just smiled even more and kept singing. This time to both Noah and the people around him.

" _They let you dream, Just a watch 'em shatter, You're just a step on the boss man's ladder, But you got dreams he'll never take away, In the same boat with a lot of your friends, Waitin' for the day your ship'll come in, And the tide's gonna turn, And it's all gonna roll you away,_ "

Kurt was dancing around at this point, flocking from one table to the next singing along to the music. Everyone he neared would smile and cheer him on and it started to remind him of his days in glee, when he would sing his heart out and not have any worried about what was bothering him in the outside world. The whiskey might be helping him too.

" _Workin' 9 to 5, What a way to make livin', Barely gettin' by, It's all takin' and no givin', They just use your mind, And you never get the credit,_ " Kurt made his way back to his high school alum and once again got close to his face with a smile and sang, " _It's enough to drive you, Crazy if you let it,_ "

Noah grabbed Kurt but the arms and held him still so the other man didn't start another trip around the bar. "You are one crazy kid Kurt Hummel." He said with a smile.

"C'mon Noah, you can't sit down and disrespect Dolly!" He exclaimed attempting to break out of the man's hold.

Noah held him tight though, but Kurt also wasn't fighting too hard. "As much as I agree with you there, I think it's time I get you home Princess. You're clearly a lot drunker than we thought."

"And you clearly aren't the Puck we thought either, you should be passing me more drinks and letting me dance and sing 'til I'm puking." Kurt challenged.

Noah shook his head and stood up. One arm thrown around the small man's waist to hold him close to him while he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "And as much as I would love to prove that, your dad will have my ass if I let you get that drunk at a honkie tonk bar in Lima."

"Boo!" Kurt whined but made no real attempt to fight it.

Noah put down some money to cover their tab and a tip and then grabbed both his jacket and Kurt's and started leading them out.

"Your boyfriend has a great voice!" A woman sitting by the door said with a smile. "Y'all need to come on a karaoke night so he can really shine." She said looking directly at Noah.

Kurt was about to correct the lady, in a very sassy manner, that Noah wasn't his boyfriend but before he could the other man started talking.

"Definitely! We'll be back I'm sure." Noah said and then led them outside.

Normally Kurt would have freaked out and started making a fuss about things. But this wasn't a normal situation, and also the whiskey was really starting to kick into full gear and he was feeling both nauseous and very _very_ drunk. So instead he just shifted a little bit closer to the man holding him up and allowed himself to be walked to a car, who's he didn't know.

"You never told me your secret." He mumbled as he slid into the car.

Noah chuckled as he reached across and fastened his seatbelt for him. "Another time Princess. Don't worry, I won't break my promise."

Kurt nodded and allowed Noah to close the door for him as he walked around the car and got in himself. He started the car and started driving.

* * *

so i wasn't originally going include any music or anything but then i realized...ITS FKN GLEE! i can't not have some singing throughout this! so this song seemed fun to have kurt sing because i don't think we ever really saw something like this from him or really on the show that much either so i hope you like it. we got a little cute pukurt moment right? let me know what you think xx


	8. the reason

"Fuck," Kurt groaned as he rolled over and gripped at his head. It was pounding so hard and every muscle in his face seemed to be constricting or hammering at full speed to irritate him. If he was being honest, he didn't even know where he was or what had happened.

Slowly he opened his eyes and expected to be met with the pictures he had framed on his wall of him and his friends through the years as well as all the fashion images he'd begged his dad to have blown up and framed. But instead he opened his eyes and took in the room with baby blue walls with navy pinstripes. _Where the hell am I?_

He looked to the right and saw some books and a clock on the nightstand but nothing that would give him a clue as to where he was. He was shirtless and if the soft feel of the black sheets he was laying on was any indication he definitely didn't have pants on either. _I didn't sleep with someone last night did I?_

He looked around again and this time jumped in surprise when his eyes landed on a blonde girl standing at the corning of the bed staring at him. He instantly shot upright, even though it made his head start spinning, and pulled the blanket up to cover his bare chest.

"Who're you?" The girl asked casually.

Kurt looked from the girl to bed and back feeling very uncomfortable. "Uh, I'm Kurt." He groaned. His voice was very hoarse and made him sound a lot more hungover than he'd like. "And who are you?"

The blonde girl flipped her hair behind her shoulder and crossed her arms as if he'd offended her. Her eyes squinted a small amount and Kurt couldn't help but notice how green her eyes were. They were almost enchanting in a way. And they reminded him a little of Elliot's eyes.

"I'm Beth," She said with her head held high. "Beth Quinn Corcoran-Puckerman."

Kurt's mouth dropped open and he had to compose himself to not look so surprised. This was Noah's daughter. Noah and Quinn's daughter that Shelby had adopted for them back in sophomore year. Which would mean he was in…

"Monkey what did I tell you?" Noah's voice came booming into the room. Kurt tried to relax but the shocked look on his face didn't disappear as he turned slightly and watched the taller man walk into the room.

Beth startled and backed away from the bed with her arms behind her back. "Not to wake up your friend."

"So why are you in here waking him up?" Noah asked rhetorically.

Beth straightened her back and once again pushed her hair back. "He was already awake daddy, I just wanted to make sure he didn't get scared cause he didn't know where he is."

Noah smirked and nodded as he folded his arms. "Oh is that right?"

Beth just nodded her head. She looked up at the retired military man and her green eyes softened instantly. Kurt knew that this was one of those "puppy dog eyes" things adults used to talk about kids giving their parents. Hell, he'd been the master at that look when he was younger and it managed to get him virtually everything he wanted. His dad still fell for that look if he used it.

"Mmh, good try!" Noah said and then pointed behind him to the door. "Out! Go finish get ready for school the bus will be pulling up soon."

Beth huffed but made her way to the door. Once she was in the doorframe she turned and looked at Kurt once more. "My daddy said you're a princess, but you're a boy?" She said as more as a question than a statement.

Kurt's shocked look wore off as he turned his gaze to his old schoolmate and gave him a dirty look. The man in question was covering his mouth to hide the laugh he was clearly enjoying. Kurt shook it off and looked back at the blonde girl and smiled. "Its hard to explain." Was the only answer he gave.

The young girl accepted it however and made her way out of the room and off to do as he father said. Once the two men were alone Kurt pulled his legs up until his feet were flat against the mattress and rested his arms on his knees. His head fell on top of his arms as he tried to calm the nausea that was starting to make itself present.

"Damn Princess, you look like hell." The other man in the room said with a chuckle.

Kurt groaned but didn't lift his head. "I feel like someone dropped a tire iron on my head three times in a row."

Noah laughed again. Kurt heard a little bit of shuffling and then he felt a dip in the mattress and he assumed the other man had joined him on the bed. "Well, all that whiskey will do that to a person babe."

Kurt rolled his eyes and finally lifted his head. Noah had placed himself on the end of the bed, laid out on his back looking up at the ceiling.

"You know, you are a wild sleeper when you're drunk too." Noah said as a smile crept over his face.

"No I'm not." Kurt argued back.

"Like hell you aren't!" Noah said and then flipped over so he was now on his side, holding his head up with his hand that was propped up on the mattress. "I put you in the bed and I was going to go sleep on the couch but you _demanded_ I sleep with you and so, not wanting to disobey his highness' orders I did. Two seconds later your feet were all in my space!"

Kurt shook his head and covered his face with his hands in embarrassment. It totally sounded like a Drunk-Kurt thing to do. "I'm so sorry Noah." He said drearily.

The man laughed and pat Kurt on the leg. "Don't sweat it Princess, I've dealt with worse."

Kurt uncovered his eyes and Noah was smiling at him. No teasing or ridicule in sight, just a genuine smile that went all the way to his eyes.

"Why'd you bring me back here?" Kurt asked letting his legs rest. Because of where Noah was laying his feet ended up being tucked under the taller man's legs, but neither made any move to change positions.

Noah's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?" He asked in disbelief. "You actually expected me to take you back to your dad's house when you were plastered and singing Dolly Parton at the top of your lungs?"

Again, Kurt cringed at the sudden memories that were flooding his head. "Oh God, please tell me I didn't actually sing _9 to 5_ to a bunch of country lovers at that bar last night!" His hands were not on his head tugging at his hair a little bit.

"Hey it was the best performance that place has ever seen." Noah said jokingly.

"Shut it Puckerman." Kurt replied and allowed himself to topple over on the bed. "I can't believe I did that."

"You had fun though." Noah encouraged. "Even though you were completely wasted, you never stopped smiling which I think was the first I'd seen from you in the time you've been back so I would say it was a successful night."

Kurt had to admit he did have a good time. He had been able to just let loose and not worry about what would happen the next day. Though he was now painfully aware of the fact that he had gotten super drunk on a Tuesday which probably hadn't been the smartest idea. But that didn't change the fact that for the first time in weeks he had laughed and smiled and most importantly sang. Kurt hadn't done much singing since he left New York and the few times he did sing it was just in the shower or along to something he played on his speaker. But going out with Noah last night had made him feel like singing.

"I did have fun." He said softly.

The two were both laying sideways on the bed now, Kurt's feet still tucked under the other man's legs. They were having a staring contest it would seem and neither was making a move to break it. But it was comfortable; Not at all a power-play to see who would cave, but they were almost having a non-verbal conversation with just their eyes.

"So she's the reason you're back huh?" Kurt asked just above a whisper.

Noah nodded. "It's kind of a long story, but yeah. She's why I'm back."

Kurt opened his mouth to respond but loud footsteps cut him off as the girl in question made her way back to the room.

"Daddy come on!" She exclaimed from the doorway. "You need to walk me to the bus stop!"

Noah smiled, but didn't break his eye contact with him. "Alright I'm coming." He replied. He sat up finally and pulled his keys off the nightstand Kurt had been eying earlier.

"The bus stop is just down the street," He said facing Kurt. "I'm gonna drop her off really quick and then I'll come back and we can go get your car from Mickey's."

Kurt nodded and sat up himself.

"Say bye to Princess Kurt." Noah said to Beth as he put his hands on her shoulders leading her out of the room.

"Bye Princess Kurt." Beth giggled and waved.

Kurt rolled his eyes but waved and muttered a soft goodbye as he watched the father and daughter exit the room. As he relaxed back against the bed, so many thoughts and questions were floating through his head and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to ask any of them out loud. But the one thing that he was definitely aware of and didn't know what to find understand in was: _did I really sleep in the same bed as Noah Puckerman_?

* * *

i am curious if anyone saw anything like this coming plot wise? i feel like i didn't hint towards it but i also did if that makes any sense. what do you think? xx


	9. nothing but the truth

When Noah got back, Kurt was fully dressed and sitting in the living room of the house. He had done a little peeping and looked around the place and it was really impressive. Three bedrooms and two bath from what Kurt had seen. The decor was simple but tasteful, which Kurt couldn't deny was quite surprising considering this was the home of the former man-whore of Lima. He'd expected frat boy, bachelor pad vibes but instead found a decent home for a twenty-four year with a six year old daughter.

The walls were covered with pictures of Beth which Kurt couldn't help but smile at. There were also pictures of the girl with Shelby. Overall, the house showed just how loved this girl clearly was.

When the front door opened Kurt turned and watched at the older man walked in smiling.

"You peep through my sex drawer or what Princess?" He teased with a smirk.

Kurt scoffed. "Oh yeah Puckerman." He replied. "Nice cock ring."

Noah winked. "We can test that out sometime if you want."

"You wish!" Kurt replied and stood up to grab his coat. "We should probably go get my car so I can get home. I'm sure Carol is worried I never came home which means there's less than two hours before she'll call my dad who will instantly freak out."

The men walked out of the house and once Noah had locked the door they made their way to the Jewish man's truck. Kurt got in the passenger seat and leaned into the chair making himself comfortable. The hangover he was nursing was still kicking his ass—a headache now attached to it.

Noah closed his door and started the truck before turning to the other occupant in the vehicle. "Jesus, Kurt try not to hurl in my truck 'kay?"

Kurt rolled his eyes at the man. "Shut up, this is literally all your fault."

Noah held his hands up in defense. "How is this my fault?" He asked with a small chuckle attached. "You were the one that kept tossing 'em back."

"Yeah well," Kurt started but stopped himself when he realized he didn't have a plausible argument. "Just shut up."

Noah laughed and nodded as he reversed the truck out of the driveway and onto the road.

"How did you even get us home last night? There's no way you should've driven Noah." Kurt finally said as the thought came to mind. The last thing he needed was to be responsible for a drunk driving incident. Especially now that he knew Noah had Beth.

"I wasn't drunk Kurt." Noah said firmly. "I stopped drinking after that first shot. Somehow you just weren't alert enough to notice that every time a shot came you were the only one taking them." He chuckled again.

Kurt looked at the man in disbelief. He tried replaying the night in his head to regain any memories of this but he was pulling up blanks. But it would've made sense. Noah Puckerman may be a lot of things, but since graduating and getting his life together, Kurt hadn't known him to be irresponsible.

"Fuck," Kurt mumbled. "I guess I was really out of it huh?" He asked aloud but didn't need a response to know the truth.

Noah reached over and patted his knee gently in a reassuring manner. "Don't worry Princess I won't tell anyone. Your moral standing will still be poised and polished to the public."

Again Kurt rolled his eyes, but with no true irritation. He'd gotten used to Noah's behavior as of late and truthful, even though he rolled his eyes and complained about the way the other man behaved sometimes, he wasn't that bothered by it. In fact he sometimes found it comforting. Maybe it was because he was used to a certain kind of man—the ones that were like Elliot and Paul, their other friend Logan and Marc, whom all were sweet and well-mannered men, but their personality traits stopped there.

Noah was a big personality and Kurt was finding some comfort in that.

"So you ready for the juicy story or what Hummel?" Noah said as they pulled up to a red light.

Kurt sat up a little straighter and nodded to the man.

Noah took a deep breath and nodded as the light turned green and he started to drive again.

"So you know after high school I went int the Air Force right?" He said and looked at Kurt for a split second to get a nod. He focused on the road again as he continued. "Well, I fucking loved it. Every last second of it made me happy. I got some discipline, I was able to let out some built up anger that I didn't even realize I still had in me you know? Like stuff with my dad and some from all the shit that happened in school that I thought I was over but I guess I wasn't. It was good for me,

"And so when I came back for the save the glee club thing, I was sure that being with Quinn that time around was going to be great. Hell, you and Blaine were engaged, Santana and Brittany found a way to get back together so why couldn't me and her?"

He made a quick turn that made Kurt grab the armrest for support, and Noah's arm shot out to the side in front of Kurt to hold him.

"Sorry Princess, almost missed it." He said nonchalantly, his arm falling but his hand resting on Kurt's arm loosely. Kurt looked at the hand but didn't make any movement. But in his mind he was confused why the other man felt the need to continue to make body contact. Maybe for emotional support to continue the story?

"That didn't last for shit!" He said and gave a hard chuckle. "Don't get me wrong I feel like I'll always love Quinn, but the high school Quinn that I knew, not the bitchy Cheerio, not the girl that wanted to be prom queen, the Quinn that she only showed sometimes. But anyways, she couldn't really handle the whole military, long distance thing and it got pretty bad between us. So when I came home next, Christmas that year, we ended it and went out separate ways."

Kurt nodded. "I heard you guys had broken up but that was years ago Noah. Like three years ago?"

"Yep!" He said with an exaggerated pop on the p. "But that's how things spun to where we are now babe so relax and enjoy the story."  
Kurt rolled his eyes but leaned back in the chair and folded his arms, causing the other man's hand to fall onto the center console. If this effected him, he didn't let it show.

"So me and Quinn broke up and I went back to base. I went about a whole year without really talking to anyone or visiting or anything. Finn kept up with me, and my ma but that was about it. But last year, when I was getting ready to deploy I got a phone call. Did you ever hear about Shelby in New York?" He asked and looked at Kurt as they stopped again at a red light.

The smaller man shook his head. "Not really. She spent some time with Rachel when Rach was getting ready for Funny Girl but that's all I really heard."  
"Sounds about right." Noah said. "She got sick. She moved to New York and started living her life and was doing great and then she got sick. Cancer." He began driving again, the light turning green. "She kept it really hush hush because she didn't want anyone making a big fuss. But she called me and told me she needed me to take care of Beth. At first I didn't think I could do it but it happened that I was able to get an early discharge for family emergency. I was actually in New York for a few months. Taking care of Beth and helping Shelby the best I could."

Kurt was in shock. None of this sounded familiar because from the way it seemed, no one knew.

"But Shelby wasn't doing too well and she wanted Beth to grow up with only solid memories of her. So she asked me to take Beth to Lima. I couldn't fight her on it because really it was the best thing to do. And that's what I did. We moved back, I found a place that felt like home, and Beth and I started our lives here."  
Kurt nodded, but he was sure his face was showing how shocked and emotional this was for him.

"Don't worry, Shelby is still alive, and fighting like hell to get better. She finally told Rachel—only after I bit her head off. Last year Finn and Rachel came home and sure enough they saw Beth and I couldn't lie that away so Shelby came clean."

"Rachel hasn't told me. Why hasn't she even brought it up to me?" Kurt started, and the break in his voice showed how close he was to tears.

"Hey hey, don't panic," Noah said, his hand finding Kurt's knee to give a gentle squeeze. "Shelby has sworn anyone that knows to secrecy and Rachel promised to keep that."

That made sense, and Kurt started to relax a little more glad to know Rachel hadn't kept it from him because she didn't want it or felt she couldn't come to him.

"She's doing better. We're hoping the last round of chemo and radiation knocked it out. But we'll see in another two months. " He said hopefully.

"So you've been raising her in the mean time?" Kurt said softly.

Noah nodded and smile ripped across his face. "Yeah. It's been amazing. I always wanted her, you know? So even though the circumstances really suck, I am glad I've had the chance to raise my baby girl."  
Kurt smiled softly and nodded. They pulled into the parking lot of Mickey's and the older man pulled up right next to Kurt's Escalade. He put his own truck into park and turned to look at the other man.

"So there's my secret Hummel. The reason Air Force stud Noah Puckerman is back in Lima." He said with a smirk.

Kurt unbuckled his seat belt and looked forward out of the windshield at the bar in front of him. Last night he had come here with his high school companion, not expecting much. In fact he had been so hesitant to even go in the first place. But now, twelve hours, a bottle of whiskey, and a sleepover later he was so glad that he had.

"You know your secret is safe with me right Noah?" He finally said.

"Yeah I know. You're too good to do anything other than what's right."

Kurt opened the door and started to climb out. He stood on the ground and turned to look at Noah, the other man flashed him a smile.

"See you at work?" Noah asked.

Kurt smiled back. "See you at work."

He closed the door and walked to his car and unlocked it. Once he climbed in and he was safe in the confines of his own vehicle he fell back against the seat and exhaled the largest breath. He hadn't realized he had been holding it in. Maybe he'd done it to save himself from giving the shocked and sad reaction he'd wanted to give when Noah was telling his story. Maybe he just felt like he had a new weight on his shoulders. Either way he felt something and he'd been holding it in and now that he'd released it all of the information from the story was flooding back in and he wanted so desperately to ask questions. He looked to the side and saw Noah was also still sitting parked.

Kurt opened his car door and dashed out. He went around until he was on the drivers side of the truck and he knocked on the window. Noah's head snapped to look at him and then he motioned for Kurt to step back so he could open the door. Once he did, and he put one leg out and there was room, Kurt threw himself at the older man.

His arms wrapped around Noah's neck and he found himself burring his face into his neck. At first the tanned man, didn't move. But then his muscular arms wrapped around Kurt's small waist and his brought him in closer.

There, in the parking lot of a honkie tonk bar, at ten in the morning, Kurt Hummel found himself standing in between Noah Puckerman's legs as the other man sat in his truck, embracing him tightly.

* * *

i hope that this give enough detail in like the timeline of this in comparison to the show event though this fic is non-canon, it still flows somewhat similarly to the show with changes, if that even makes sense. i really love hearing what you guys think so people make sure you leave a comment and we can chat! thanks xx


	10. friends

"Noah seriously, knock it off!" Kurt exclaimed behind a laugh as he watched the other man.

They were at the shop and the older man was entertaining not only Kurt but the rest of the guys that worked there by doing an impression of Kurt drunk singing at the bar the other night.

"No guys, just imagine our little Kurtie drunk as hell walking around the most country bar you've ever seen singing Dolly Parton." Noah explained to the shop. "There he was sitting down, everything calm, and then next thing you know," Noah claps his hands together causing an echo to ring through the shop. " _Workin' 9 to 5,_ " He sang in a high pitch.

The guys in the shop were laughing as he told the story and at this point all Kurt could really do was fold his arms and slowly shake his head in disappointment. But there was no true malice behind it, the smile on his face made that clear.

"Hey, when Dolly comes on you can't disrespect." Kurt shrugged.

Joe, whom Kurt had known practically his whole life was doubled over in laughter. "God I would have killed to see the looks on some of those people's faces in that bar!"

Kurt turned his attention to Joe in mock offense. "Joe, you know I have a voice that melts all hearts! Hell it was so good some lady told Noah to make sure to bring his _boyfriend_ back for karaoke." Kurt teased and tossed a look to his old glee-mate.

"Oh yeah?" Joe asked, his laughter finally calming down. "And what did your _boyfriend_ have to say about that?"

Kurt opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by the man in question. "He said that next time he plans to bring a video camera so he can show the entire shop for proof."

"Whatever." Kurt said and waved the man off. "Alright enough about my honkie tonk debut. I gotta go."

Joe said a quick goodbye and went back to working on the car he had lifted at the moment. Kurt walked to the office and started packing up his things. When his back was turned he heard footsteps enter followed by the door closing. He turned around quickly to find his the military veteran standing there wiping his hands on a rag.

"Come to laugh a little more about my Dolly moment?" Kurt teased with a smile before continuing to pack his things.

"No not right now." Noah chuckled. "I have that filed away in my memory for whenever I need a good laugh."

Kurt rolled his eyes even though the other man couldn't see. He turned back around and sat at the desk to save all of the files he had been working on and shut down the computer. Noah continued to stand there, mindlessly wiping his hands, and watching the brunette.

Feeling the other man's eyes on him Kurt looked away from the computer at him in confusion. "What is it?"

Noah ran his hand along his shaved head, a much appreciated step up from the mohawk he had sported for years. "I just uh," He started and took a step forward. "I wanted to say that I think you're pretty cool Hummel."

Kurt's brows scrunched in confusion. "Uhm thank you?" He replied as more of a question.

"Not that I didn't always think you were cool. Well, okay maybe after I actually got to know you I thought you were cool, but you know," He stuttered a little and scratched the back of his neck.

Kurt hadn't ever really seen the former jock this nervous before. Hell, he'd seen Noah at some of his craziest moments. The good, the bad, and the criminal—but he'd never once seen him at like a shy teenage boy, even when he was a teenage boy.

"I appreciate that Noah, but if this is your apology for not getting to know how cool I was sooner you're about five years too late." Kurt joked lightly.

Noah smirked and finally rested his hand against his side again. "No this isn't an apology Princess. This is a, you're home now and so am I and I think we should hang out proposal."

Kurt's eyes widened a little. He wasn't too sure if he could call his response shock but it felt a whole lot like it. Truthfully, he didn't really understand where any of this was coming from. In the three weeks he'd been home he'd talked to Noah more than he probably ever had, and certainly more than anyone else he was currently talking to. And the two had even gone out that night _and_ shared a bed and secrets. If they weren't "hangin out" then, what would the other man be looking to do?

"I'm a little confused Noah, what do you mean we should hang out?" Kurt asked. "Isn't that what we did the other night at Mickey's?"

Noah finally stuffed his rag in the back of his coveralls and took a seat across from the paler man in front of him. "Yeah technically, but it was a super last minute thing and more than anything we just got drunk and spilled our secrets."

"Correction," Kurt held up a finger. "I got drunk, you pretended to get drunk and let me put on a show in front of a bunch of people."

Noah smiled again and a small chuckle escaped him. "Best night ever." He replied.

Kurt joined in on the laugh but it faded quick as the confusion once again sunk in. "Well if that wasn't us hanging out what is it you're looking for exactly?"

The mechanic was quiet for a second as he held Kurt's gaze. Kurt could help but try to read and analyze what it is that the man wanted. Looking into his hazel eyes all he could see a hint of fear buzzing through his golden orbs. But what was he afraid of?

The pair were friends as far as Kurt was concerned. They may not have been the best of friends but lately he was the only person that Kurt really wanted to talk to, and most days he was. Besides spending time with Carol at night, and taking calls from his dad, Kurt was really in seclusion and the former running back was the only person allowed to interact with him.

Noah finally opened his mouth to respond when the office door came flying open and slammed against the wall.

Both men jumped as they looked up at who had caused the commotion.

"Oh sweet Jesus," Kurt mumbled as he looked at the intruder.

There in the doorway, standing just at five feet tall, in a grey sweater and black pencil skirt, four inch stilettos adding to her height, and the most pointed glare they'd ever witness on the girl stood Rachel Berry.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel!" She exclaimed. "Have you fallen and bumped that pretty head of yours? Did you lose consciousness and wake up and suddenly forget how a cell phone works? Maybe you were abducted by aliens and probed to the point that you lost the power of communication. Any of these excuses will be valid reason for why you have been avoiding my phone calls and texts for the last _three weeks_!" She rambled.

Kurt leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes, and began to message his temples, taking a deep breath as he did. "Hello to you too Rachel."

"Don't give me that attitude as if I'm intruding!" She said stepping into the room and placing her bag down on the seat next to the one being occupied by Noah. Who was starting wide eyed back and forth between the two. "Do you have any idea how freaking worried I have been about you? If it weren't for Carol giving Finn updates weekly I wouldn't know if you were cooped up in bed in a suicidal depression or out getting hammered every night trying to ease your sorrows! Hi Noah," She said acknowledging the man quickly before turning back to the subject of her wrath.

"You literally disappeared off of the map Kurt! You can't just relocate and shut everyone out when you're going through a rough time that isn't how adults behave." She continued.

Kurt raised his finger to interject but was cut off by the ongoing rant the singer was spewing.

"All it would have taken is one phone call to let me know that you were okay and that you weren't off doing something _stupid_ to ease broken heart and I would've accepted that. Anything would have been better than just icing out your best friend. But instead I had to drag Finn on a plane back to Lima just to track you down and make sure you weren't Marilyn Monroe-ing!" She punctuated the ongoing monologue by leaning onto the desk and slamming her hand for dramatic effect. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Finally seeing his opportunity to speak, Kurt exhaled and met the frantic girl's eye. "How was your flight?"

At the simple response Rachel huffed and Noah bit back the laughter that was threatening to escape. He stood up at that and nodded to Kurt. "You clearly have some," He paused looking at the Jewish girl that looked about ready to explode. "Stuff to handle so I'm gonna go. I'm sure Finn is out there somewhere hiding from all of this." He motioned to the angry woman.

"Can we finish what we were trying to talk about later?" Kurt asked, the curiosity seeping into his voice.

Noah smiled and nodded. "Yeah for sure. Good luck with crazy pants here."

"Shut it Puckerman." Rachel bit at him. Noah just laughed as he walked out, closing the door behind him.

Kurt watched him walk away and he so desperately wished that Rachel could have interrupted five minutes later than she had. At least then he would've had some kind of clue as to what the man that'd just left was trying to get at. With a sigh Kurt looked at his former roommate and motioned to the now unoccupied chair.

"I'm sure the soliloquy you must have spent your plane ride working on has tired you out so why don't you take a seat and we can talk like two adults." Kurt started.

Rachel gave him one last pointed look before the ice she'd tried to maintain melted and she fell into the seat with a sad look.

"Kurt I just don't understand why you felt like you had to run away and hide from everyone. Especially me." She replied and the hurt was very apparent now.

Kurt sighed and looked down at his folded hands in his lap. "Rachel I didn't do it because of you. I did it because I didn't have anywhere to go. I needed to get out of San Francisco and away from Elliot immediately and here was the only option."

"That's not true. You could have called me and come and stayed with me and Finn." Rachel argued.

"Yeah and have Finn flip out, kick a chair, and threaten to fly into SFO to pummel Elliot? No thank you."

Rachel opened her mouth but closed it instantly. She looked away for a second as if pondering the likelihood of this and settled on agreeing with a subtle shrug. "Fair enough but why couldn't you just call and keep us up to date? You went from talking to me at least once a day to nothing for three weeks."

It was Kurt's turn to shrug. "I needed some time to myself. It was hard enough thinking about keeping my job, and working from here while also helping my dad and trying not to feel so shitty about myself. Staying in touch with anyone, not only you, felt like it would break me."

Rachel simply nodded. She sat across from Kurt and he could tell she was beginning to understand why he'd done things the way he had. It truly hadn't been a jab at their friendship. Kurt could honestly say that Rachel was his best friend. They'd gone through a lot together in high school, but after graduation they went through a lot more. Break ups, school drama, Broadway, broken engagements, and so much more. How could he not consider the girl to be his best friend? And one day he knew he'd be able to relabel her as his sister in law. No matter how much he loved her though, he needed the time to heal and get back together after the cheating incident and she wouldn't have helped.

"I will say that I am sorry for freezing you out though." Kurt said sincerely. "I missed you."

Rachel's eyes softened and she stood up, beginning to walk around the desk. Kurt followed her lead and they met each other in a tight embrace. Kurt squeezed the girl tight and held her close.

"Don't you ever do something like that again you hear me?" Rachel said into his chest.

"Noted." Kurt chuckled.

The door squeaked opened and revealed the other pair of best friends and former teammates smiling at the scene before them.

"Told you they'd be hugging by now." Finn said matter of factly to his old teammate.

"Damn." Noah grunted. "I was hoping someone would be getting bitch slapped at this point."

* * *

firstly, i am soooo sorry i missed posting on thursday! my semester started again about three weeks ago and i have chapters prepared in advance so i wouldn't get behind on posting but yesterday i was so tired after class i forgot to post. oops! but here it is! i hope you enjoy and that you'll still loving the story. i will see you all tuesday, promise xx


	11. so what's going on?

"So what exactly have you been up to here Kurt?" Rachel asked as the two were standing around the kitchen getting dinner ready.

Kurt's back was turned to the girl as he rinsed the lettuce for the salad in the sink. He rolled his eyes dramatically at the tone the girl had asked the question in. It had been laced with a "so you're back in Lima huh?" better than you tone of voice. "I've been working." Kurt replied plainly.

The girl stopped her motion from chopping vegetables and looked over to the boy. "Obviously." She retuned. "But what are you doing? Working at the shop and what? Running a business via email?"

"I've been lucky enough to be able to keep up with my work back in San Francisco just fine actually." He said matter of factly.

"Okay." She continued chopping. "And how long are you planning on making it work across county?"

Kurt turned off the sink with a forceful slamming of the handle. "I don't know Rachel until they decide I can't anymore." He said sternly.

Rachel's eyes widened at the sudden increase in Kurt's volume. "Kurt I'm just trying to figure out what your plan is here. You don't need to snap at me."

Kurt turned around and leaned against edge of the sink looking at the girl he would undoubtably consider his best friend. "I know that Rachel, but you've been here literally all of five minutes. Can't you just start off with some small talk like a normal person before you dive into judging everything I do?"

The singer put her knife down and walked over until she was standing right in front of the boy, and she reached out for his hands. "I am not judging you Kurt. What Elliot did to you is horrible and it's completely understandable that you needed to escape." The sincerity was clear as she gripped his hand tighter. "But I wouldn't be a good friend if I wasn't trying to make sure that your life stays on track."

"And I love you for that." Kurt responded. He pulled his hand out of his friend's however, and grabbed the lettuce and walked to the island in the middle of the room. "But as my friend you should also be aware of the fact that I went through something I never thought that I would and I might not want to talk about it."

As much as he loved Rachel, it wasn't hard to admit that Kurt wished the girl could sometimes back off. After they're conversation in the office at the shop Rachel and Finn tried to catch up with both Kurt and Puck but with the shop being busy, they found it difficult. Which led Rachel to invite the Jewish man over to the Hummel-Hudson's for dinner. Of course he'd accepted, which is why Kurt and Rachel were in the kitchen making a dinner that could feed almost ten. Between Burt and the two jocks they knew they needed to be prepared.

But it had been non-stop interrogation since they'd started. Rachel continued to ask who Kurt had seen and where he's gone since he'd been back and what he did for fun. And it seemed every answer he gave didn't satisfy her and it was starting to irritate him.

"Fine, I won't bother you about it again for the rest of the night." The other girl said and returned to where she was cutting before. "How about we talk about you and Puck instead."

Kurt would have dropped the bowl of lettuce had it not already been on the countertop. "Excuse me?" He asked in a high octave as he turned to the girl.

She didn't look up but Kurt could see the smile that was spreading over her face. "Well from what you've told me you've spent a lot of time with him the last month."

"He works at my dad's shop—I'm obviously going to see him a few times a week." He said as if it was obvious.

Rachel looked up and waved the knife from side to side. "Oh yeah and you going to a country bar and getting drunk with him is obviously apart of the work thing right?" She smirked.

Kurt rolled his eyes with a scoff. "You must be getting some kind of brain damage from the high wattage on those stage lights Berry because you are being ridiculous."

She giggled and went back to her cutting. "Kurt please, let's not play this game. I've known the two of you for too long. There's something going on there."

"Rachel I hung out with him _once_ and it resulted in me getting drunk and spilling secrets." Kurt argued.

Rachel looked up with that same damn smirk on her lips. "Yeah and then you ended up sleeping in his bed and doing what exactly?"

Just as Kurt opened his mouth to respond the doorbell rang.

"That must be your boyfriend now." Rachel said and pointed to the door.

Kurt rolled his eyes and walk out of the kitchen towards the front door. He knew that Finn wouldn't bother to get the door and Carol was upstairs changing. His dad was in the living room watching some game with Finn. He opened the front door and Noah's eyes lit up and his signature crooked smile spread across his face.

"Hey Princess." He said softly.

Kurt again opened his mouth, but a bundle of blonde hair popped out from behind the tall man. Beth's beautiful eyes shone up at him as she gave a shy smile of her own. "Hi Princess Kurt." She said softly.

"Why, hello there." Kurt said cheerfully to the girl and then looked up to the man in front of him.

Noah leaned forward just a little and whispered, "I was going to leave her with my mom but she was in a mood so I figured human interaction might be good for her."

Kurt smiled and nodded. "I'm glad you brought Beth along because there's so much food and I honestly didn't know what we were going to do with it all." He said dramatically.

"I can help eat it." Beth said softly and smiled.

"Oh my God will you help us?" Kurt exaggerated. "You would be doing me such a favor. I didn't want your dad and my brother to think extra food meant they could eat until their stomachs exploded."

Noah looked at him with a pointed glare which Kurt giggle at.

"My dad does that all the time! And then he's so fat and lazy he won't get off the couch for like _hours!_ " Her voice picked up in volume and Kurt knew he had made her feel more comfortable.

Kurt crouched down to the girls level and motioned for her to lean in. "My brother does the same thing. How about after dinner I show you a couple of tricks to make him get up in a record time?"

Beth giggled and covered her mouth with her hands but nodded. Kurt smiled and held out his hand for the young girl to take.

"C'mon I'm going to introduce you to my best friend Rachel. She's in the kitchen." Kurt said.

Beth looked to her dad for approval and when the older man nodded she linked her hand with Kurt's and followed him into the house.

Kurt looked to Noah and invited him in as well, allowing the man to close the door behind him. "My dad and Finn are in the living room if you want to go watch the game." Kurt said casually, as if it was the most normal situation.

Noah nodded and looked down to his daughter and then to Kurt with a smile. He met Kurt's eye and held his gaze for a moment. Neither man said anything, they just looked into each other's eyes. It wasn't until Kurt felt a tug on his hand that he realized he was supposed to be taking the small girl to the kitchen with him.

"Princess Kurt are we still going to the kitchen?" She said.

Kurt smiled down at her and smiled. "Oh of course! I'm going to tell you all the stories I know about your daddy while we make dinner. You're going to laugh _so_ hard!"

The two started making their way to the kitchen but Kurt couldn't help but look back at the man who was standing in the foyer, hands in his pockets, smiling at him as he walked away. Kurt reached the kitchen only to find Rachel standing in the hallway with her arms folded and a smirk on her lips.

"Oh yeah, nothing is going on." She said sarcastically before looking down to the girl holding Kurt's hand. "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry. Are you going to help us cook?"

* * *

i hope you are all still enjoying the story. i know it might seem very slow burn but i don't want it to be kurt moved back and boom they were a couple. i will say though that from what i have prepared so far it's all uphill from here for our boys. let me know how you're feeling so far though! xx


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